


desperate problems require desperate solutions

by MavenMorozova



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Grishaverse - All Media Types
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Food, Grishatober 2020, Heartrending, Huddling For Warmth, Hypothermia, Kissing, Missing Scene, Nudity, One Shot, Request Meme, Waffles, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, helnik - Freeform, well...almost?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:16:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27135125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MavenMorozova/pseuds/MavenMorozova
Summary: Nina & Matthias are wandering Fjerda, still trying to make their way to Kerch. Nina needs to find a way to keep Matthias from getting hypothermia, and she comes up with some creative solutions.
Relationships: Matthias Helvar/Nina Zenik, Nina Zenik & Matthias Helvar
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30
Collections: GRISHATOBER 2020, Whumptober 2020





	desperate problems require desperate solutions

**Author's Note:**

> written for:  
> \- grishatober day 21: food  
> \- whumptober day 21: hypothermia  
> \- anon on tumblr who requested huddling for warmth + helnik

“Are you cold?”

They were huddled together in Nina’s outer kefta, and Matthias was shivering terribly. They had been alone in the wilderness for quite some time now, and although they had slept together in the cold Fjerdan night, Nina still felt like Matthias was holding back from her. She couldn’t understand why. She’d been with him nearly naked, and he’d been...fine, or so she assumed. But now he was just as numb, and his skin was nearly ice to the touch. “I thought you barbarians had special cloaks for this,” Nina muttered to herself as she drew in Matthias closer.

He snarled to himself. “We do,” he said, “but we can’t _live_ out here!”

At his words, Nina couldn’t help but laugh, just a little. “It’s a good thing you have me, then,” she said, and he looked so sour at the sentiment that she could have kissed him. Well, if he wasn’t such a jerk, and a prejudiced one at that.

After a moment, Matthias said, “We should get moving again. Rest is nice, but it won’t get us anywhere.”

Nina nodded. “As you wish, Helvar.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Please don’t talk to me, _drusjë,_ ” he muttered as he slipped from beneath her kefta and began walking across the tundra again. Nina watched as his shoulders began to shake uncontrollably as he left the circle of her warmth, and she sighed. “Don’t get too far ahead.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” he shot back.

“Good.”

Nina smirked to herself and she picked herself up from the log they’d been sitting on and marched a few paces behind the Fjerdan. From this vantage point, she could see his broad structure and the way his pale skin and blonde hair seemed to blend into the white snowy landscape. It was rather nice.

But what she really wanted was food. Waffles, preferably, soft and warm on the inside, crispy on the outside, topped with sweet syrup. She could even imagine feeding them slowly to Matthias, see him kneeling in front of her as she gave them to him bite by bite...but no. She could not have such fantasies right now. They were alone in the coldest place in the world, and thoughts of her favorite food would not do her any favors. If anything, she’d only be strayed off track.

But waffles with strawberries!

 _Focus, Nina,_ she told herself, shaking her head. This was ridiculous. How would they even be able to tell when they reached civilization anyway? Everywhere around, it looked the same. Cold, pale, bleak. _Lonely._

“What are you thinking about?” Matthias asked very quietly when she caught up with him.

Nina pursed her chapped lips slightly. “Waffles,” she admitted. “And you.”

“Me?” he asked, face and voice still flat. She wished he would betray a little more emotion.

She nodded. “You would like them. I’m sure you don’t have such delicacies in your monk lifestyle.”

“I’m not a monk,” he sneered. “Far from that.” But he didn’t elaborate. She knew already, anyway. And she didn’t want to think about it.

The hours of the day passed slowly, but the sun did eventually set, and Nina felt the few droplets of sweat she’d developed from trekking across the ice all day freeze into something insanely uncomfortable. “We should find a place to sleep,” she muttered, and Matthias nodded without any resistance.

There was no convenient hut near them like there had been the previous night, so Nina had them lay beneath a large tree on a snowless brown patch and laid her kefta on them both. This time, Matthias put up no resistance to her touch as she removed her clothes and lay them, too, on top of them both so that their chests could touch.

She did see him redden as her bra was unclasped, and his eyes fell conspicuously to her breasts. Nina rolled her eyes. “Grow up, Helvar.”

He frowned at her, though he still turned to face her and wrapped his thick, muscled arms around her. She placed a hand on his chest and carefully slowed his heart and hers, lulling them into sleep.

***

She woke to find him slightly blue at the fingertips, and his lips tinged a light purple.

“HELVAR!” Nina shrieked, and she felt her heartrending abilities jump in unintentional excitement at her worry, speeding up Matthias’s heart until he woke, breathing hard. “What?” he asked, oblivious.

“You’re freezing,” Nina said quickly, taking his hands and pressing them to the only truly warm spot she could think of: the pockets beneath her breasts, where they hung to rest on her chest. Matthias blushed, but sighed too, nevertheless. “Thank you,” he said. She could feel his fingers wiggle a bit under her breasts and smirked at him. “Desperate problems require desperate solutions,” she murmured quietly, and leaned forward to kiss him.

Matthias gasped and stood stock-still for a moment, before leaning into her touch and responding, his fingers twisting from their compromising position to pinch at her breasts slightly. Nina laughed into his mouth, moving her lips around each of his to warm them.

“Your lips were purple,” Nina said once they pulled away.

“And that’s the only reason you kissed me?”

Nina smiled at him, but took his hands and wrapped them in hers. “Perhaps,” she whispered. “But I also like you, despite my better intrests.”

“You’re bearable, too, witch,” he replied, but there was no malice in it, and Nina felt herself flush. “Good,” she said. “Because you’re stuck with me for now. And when we get to somewhere safe?”

“Yes?” he asked, placing a hand on her cheek.

“We’ll eat waffles together,” she said to him, and kissed him again. “Does that sound good?”

Matthias nodded solemnly, though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Always,” he said.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed!
> 
> as always, comments/praise/constructive criticism is appreciated! stay safe<3


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